KEEPERS OF THE GAME AND CROSSING THE LINE BOOKEND CANADIAN SPORT FILM FESTIVAL AS OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT FILMS

KEEPERS OF THE GAME AND CROSSING THE LINEBOOKEND CANADIAN SPORT FILM FESTIVALAS OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT FILMS

Festival runs June 9 to 11, 2017

Public Tickets on sale May 10, 2017

TORONTO, ON (April 20, 2017) – The Canadian Sport Film Festival (CSFF) announced today the Opening and Closing Night films for the 9th edition of the Festival, taking placeJune 9 to 11, 2017 at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto. This year’s CSFF will open with the Toronto Premiere of Judd Ehrlich’s Keepers of the Game, about an all-Native girls’ lacrosse team with more than a championship on the line; and will close with the Canadian Premiere of Crossing the Line by David Tryhorn, a documentary about the hurdles that an Olympic athlete must face to gain redemption in his sport.

“Much like sport, film has the power to break down cultural and social barriers, and this year’s Opening and Closing night films strive to do just that,” said Russell Field, CSFF Executive Director. “From a story about the unique challenges faced by a group of female aboriginal lacrosse players to a close look at the rise, fall, and redemption of one of the most respected Olympic hurdlers, these two films are only the beginning of what will be one of our best programming line-ups yet.”

This year, in advance of the opening night, high school students are invited to attend a FREE screening of Crossing the Line at TIFF Bell Lightbox on June 9 at 10:30 a.m.

With a mission to provoke dialogue on the power of sport to inspire social change, CSFF features Canadian and International films that showcase the remarkable resilience of people in challenging circumstances who find hope through sport. Tickets go on sale starting May 10 at sportfilmfestival.ca.

Some of the earliest forms of lacrosse originated on Akwesasne Mohawk Territory but the game has historically been the preserve of men. Just off the reservation at Salmon River High in Fort Covington, NY an all-Native girls’ lacrosse team comes together, seeking to be the first Native women’s team to bring home a Section Championship. But the team faces ambivalence in their own community and the girls must prove that the game of lacrosse is their rightful inheritance. With more than just the championship on the line, the girls fight to blaze a new path for the next generation of Native women, while honouring their people’s tradition in a changing world.

In 1984, an unknown teenager from South Central LA burst on to the global stage by winning an Olympic silver medal in the 400m hurdles. Three years later, Danny Harris became the first person in over a decade to beat the legendary Edwin Moses. Yet his failure to qualify for the 1988 Seoul Olympics led, Harris into a period of depression and addiction. Orphaned at 14, Olympic star at 18, crack cocaine addict at 22, and finished at 30, this is the dramatic story of Danny Harris’s rise, fall and eventual redemption.

About Canadian Sport Film Festival
The Canadian Sport Film Festival (CSFF) brings together the theatre of sport and the medium of film to tell unique, provocative and passionate human stories from around the world. CSFF also works to showcase international films and filmmakers not typically screened or widely available. In addition, CSFF educates, engages and entertains communities throughout Canada using powerful stories told on film through sport, many of which promote physical activity as a means to achieve long-lasting health benefits to both body and mind. For more information, visit www.sportfilmfestival.ca

IMAGE GALLERY

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